


You Won't Find This in a Textbook

by The_Green_Eyed_Girl



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: ((okay so geeky Liam is irrelevant but it makes me happy on a spiritual level)), Alternate Universe, Fluff, Geek!Liam, Kissing, M/M, Nerd!Niall, Science, That's pretty much it right there, just fluff and kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-03
Updated: 2014-02-03
Packaged: 2018-01-11 00:46:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1166603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Green_Eyed_Girl/pseuds/The_Green_Eyed_Girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Niall is a science freak who is terrified of emotions, Liam likes to tease him about being a genius, and Zayn maybe kind of likes him back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Won't Find This in a Textbook

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT ALERT 16/5/2016  
> A lot of things bugged me about this fic, so I fixed them. Nothing plot changing, but personally I find it a little easier to read now? Idk- you be the judge  
> I didn't change much- look, I even left the note at the bottom despite Snowed In making the statement complete obsolete now!

"Niall, what are you doing?"

It was a question Liam had to ask his friend often- along with follow-ups such as 'Why is there an egg soaking in a beaker of vinegar?', 'What the hell is the black gunk growing in that petri dish?' ('Why do you even _have_ a petri dish?'), or, Liam's favorite, 'Why are you wearing a surgical mask- should I call the hazmat unit?'.

Though, at the moment, the Irish boy was huddled over the counter in the kitchen, busily scribbling on scratch paper and mumbling under his breath. Liam leaned over the counter as well, resting his chin on arms. "Ni?" he called again.

Niall silenced his mumbling and glanced at Liam. "...Solving an equation," he answered after a moment. He held the boys gaze for a second, then returned to scratching out various names and symbols on the page. Liam sighed and waited for a lull in movement.

Finally, around the fifth time he'd angrily scratched out his work, Niall groaned and covered his head with his hands, pushing the paper away. Liam took it up and read over the page, but all it spelled out for him was "HEADACHE" in big, bold letters.

He recognized a few of the terms, though, as different areas of the brain. "Since when do you study neuroscience?" he asked, placing the paper back onto the counter. Niall lifted his head enough to glance at Liam.

"I don't... I was just trying to figure something out."

"So you were just spending your Saturday morning studying for nothing?" Liam asked incredulously. Then he shrugged and said, "Actually, sounds about like you."

Niall rolled his eyes and turned to lean back against the counter. "I'm not studying. This is really important, actually, because either I've got some kind of brain tumor or I'm just going mental- those are the only options that work at the moment."

Liam turned away to hide the chortle that bubbled up from his throat. He turned back to Niall, desperately fighting to hide his grin. He was met with a unamused glare. "C'mon, Ni. You've got to admit that was verging on the ridiculous. Except maybe the mental one, that I could agree to."

Niall sighed. "You just don't get it," he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down. Liam's grin fell and he, too, turned to lean against the counter.

"Okay, okay. No more teasing, I promise. What's wrong? Why are you so obsessed with knowing about-" he glanced at the crumpled page in his hand- "the amy-guh-dah-luh, or however you pronounce it."

"Amygdala, Liam, it's uh-mig-duh-la. It's basically the emotional processing area of the brain."

"So this is an emotional thing?" Liam questioned, a grin spreading across his face. "So you finally feel human emotions now? Or should I call the cyborg unit to come fix a malfunction in your wiring?"

Niall groaned. "You _said_ no more teasing! Whatever, why am I even bothering?" he grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets and stalking away. Liam sighed and followed him into the living room.

"Alright, look, I'm sorry- that one just sort of came out. Blame it on hanging around Louis too long. Just tell me what's bugging you, please?"

Niall glanced back at his friend, though wished he hadn't- Liam was currently using his terribly persuasive puppy eyes to get Niall to talk. Niall stopped walking and turned to fully face him.

"Okay, okay. So... I was trying to figure out the different emotions and understand the chemicals that cause them, but... you know how sometimes you feel something that you don't have a name for? Well, I'm not used to not being able to put a name on something, and I thought if I did some research then maybe I could figure it out. But the internet results that came up didn't make any sense, literally _all_ two-hundred pages I read through were a bunch of ignorance and impossibilities, so I just started from scratch to come up with an answer myself."

Liam tilted his head. "So you felt something strange and you're trying to chalk it all up to science."

"Basically," Niall nodded.

"So what was it that you felt? Even if you can't name it, just describe it."

Niall blushed. "N-no! It's stupid and pointless and why am I even telling you about this? It's nothing, not anything to worry over.. let's just drop it and watch a movie or something.."

Liam rolled his eyes. "No way, Horan. I haven't seen you react this was since primary school, now what's up? What's the problem?"

Niall shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. "Not what, _who_..." he mumbled. He sat down on the couch, Liam sitting beside him.

"So it's a person..?" Liam asked slowly. "Ni, this.. emotion. Is it good or bad?"

Niall blanched. "Horrible, terrible, distracting, awkward, uncomfortable, too warm, too vivid... just.. _nightmarish._ "

"How do you mean, though? Like describe a scenario where you feel that way," Liam prodded. He already knew where the conversation was heading, but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to draw out his friend's discomfort a bit longer.

Niall nodded and drew his legs up beneath him. "It usually starts out perfectly normal. Like I could be walking down the hallway, yeah? Or just sitting in class. Then, all of the sudden, things... change. _They_ walk in my general direction, and out of nowhere it's like things are moving _so_ slowly, and yet still going too fast. Suddenly I'm like hyper-aware of how I look- am I slouching? Do I have a scowl on my face? Are my clothes messy? Is my hair in order? And it doesn't feel right because normally it's whatever, I don't care. But then when they get closer, it feels like I'm going to throw up, and I feel off balance, and it just _sucks massively._ "

"So you have a crush?"

"No, I- what?"

Liam laughed. "Niall, you're blushing right now. You _knew_ all of this already, you just don't want to admit it! You're crushing on someone!"

Niall drew his knees up to his chest and crossed his arms around his legs. "That's stupid," his murmured dejectedly, nearly whimpering. Liam grinned.

"So? Who is it then?" Liam questioned, poking Niall's shoulder. When the younger boy buried his face into his knee caps, Liam continued, "Or am I going to have to guess?"

Niall was silent for a few moments too long, at least for Liam's liking, and so the older boy began naming different girls in their class.

"Is it Holly? She's into math, right? That's basically science, right? Or is it Katy? Oo, no, is it that Taylor chick? Careful man, she's like, dated over half the guys at school-"

Niall groaned and brought his face up and stared at Liam remorsefully. "No, it's not them.. Li, I really want to stop talking about this."

Liam tilted his head and contemplated Niall for a second. Suspicions he'd carried for quite some time about his friend rose slowly to the surface, and he decided it was time to voice them. "Niall, I want to ask you something- but you've got to promise not be offended in any way, okay?"

Niall let his knees fall and instead drew them up under him. He turned so he was facing his friend, then nodded.

"Do you like a guy?"

Niall's cheeks flushed red and he looked away pointedly, all the while giving a slight nod. Liam looked thoughtful for a moment, a rather longer moment, then drew in a deep breath.

"So... Sean, or Stan? Is it Andy- you guys got along pretty well and I think Andy's gay too..." but Liam fired, though he trailed when he noticed Niall staring at him with wide eyes. "So... not Andy?"

"You're.. you're not going to make fun of me because I have non-platonic, unnatural, and possibly unrequited emotions for another person of the same sex?"

"No- but can I make fun of the way you worded that sentence? Because I feel like it's just begging to picked apart," Liam chuckled.

Niall didn't know whether to glare at him or smile.

Liam shifted in his seat his face became a bit more serious. "But Niall, really- why would I make fun of you just because you're into guys and I'm not? That's stupid. That would be like you making fun of me because I love science fiction and fantasy but you don't see the point in them. I'm not saying you don't do that, you do- don't think I've forgotten about the Elder Scrolls incident of 2008. But still."

"I thought you'd react more negatively... I mean, that's the natural human response to things that aren't widely acceptable in society. Also homosexuality defies the nature of science, and every survival instinct in the human body," Niall countered, employing his usual method of hiding embarrassment behind overly complicated explanations of his overly complicated logic.

Liam gave Niall crooked grin. "You've been 'defying survival instincts' for years, Niall. You can't run fast, you can't swim very well, you're about as strong as a injured butterfly, and as terrifying as a sleepy Labrador puppy. Don't even get me started on the fact that your punches feel like they're coming from a declawed cat. Besides, since when did humans make any sense on an animal instinct level?"

"So this doesn't change anything with us?"

"Nope. I would appreciate, however, you telling me who it is so I can commence a full analysis to make sure they are deserving of your loveliness."

The almost shy smile that had been pulling at the corner's of Niall's mouth vanished behind an unamused frowned. "Can I hit you?"

"Aw, is baby penguin getting angry?"

"I hate you so much. I actually think I might despise you."

"Love you too, Ni-bear. Now spill."

Niall sighed, his pitiful attempt at diversion expertly blocked, and looked down at the couch for a moment. "You, uh, you know Zayn, right?"

Liam cocked his head. "Kinda tannish, black hair, brown eyes, king of lit class? Yeah, I know him a bit." Suddenly Liam grinned broadly. "Is he the one? Wow, I guess opposites do attract."

"Or I'm just a faulty magnet who's attracted to someone repelled by me," Niall muttered. He rubbed his arm self-consciously. "What if we're _too_ different, though? What if he doesn't feel the same? I can't function properly like this, Liam, I can barely focus on anything anymore. I nearly made a B on that last environmental science quiz-"

"-great 'cause I didn't even pass it-"

"-because I couldn't stop thinking about his stupid face and his stupid smile," he rambled. He continued murmuring about all of Zayn's exceedingly stupid features until his voice was too quiet for Liam to hear.

"Do you know the only way you're ever going to find out?" Liam questioned. Niall glanced towards him with narrowed eyes.

"Say it and die."

"You have to tell him how you feel."

"I'm spiking your Pepsi with black mold spores at lunch tomorrow, fair warning."

"I'm pretty sure your mum confiscated those last month when she found you had them."

Niall rolled his eyes, though really it was just an excuse to look away from Liam. They stayed silent for a while, then Niall looked up. "Can we forget this for now? Wait," he began, waving a hand dismissively, "the hell are you doing here, anyway?"

Liam looked confused for a moment, but suddenly his eyes widened and he gave a small gasp. "Shit, Niall, I nearly forgot- Louis wanted us to come over to his place today to hang out."

Niall bit his lip. "Just you, me, and Louis?"

"Harry, too, of course," Liam stated. After a moment of thought, he smirked and added, "And who knows, Louis has this one _other_ friend you may know. I don't know, maybe _he'll_ be there, as well."

Niall paled.

"Come _on_ Niall! Don't look so scared!" Liam laughed as he stood from the couch. He hooked an arm around Niall's and pulled him up, too. "Are you in or not?"

"Are you saying I actually get say in whether I go or not?"

"No, but I thought it would be polite to ask nicely first."

Niall groaned but grudgingly followed Liam out of the door of Niall's mother's house.

When they arrived at Louis', they were met with an "About bloody time!" from the cinnamon-haired man himself. For a moment, Niall thought it would just be the three of them- until he heard familiar laughter coming from the kitchen. He looked over to see Harry walking out with a can of soda in his hands, followed closely by Zayn.

"Ey! You guys are finally here!" Harry cheered, a wide grin on his face as he threw himself unceremoniously onto the couch. "The geek and nerd, yep, _now_ it's a party."

Liam snorted and smacked the boy light in the head as he walked behind. "I would be more offended if I wasn't just really happy that you understand the difference between the two," he replied.

"It's kind of easy, Liam. You're close to failing because you won't stop reading comics and playing video games, and Niall is unable to function in normal society because he memorizes the textbooks within the first week of school," Louis stated confidently. "Don'tcha Niallers?" he asked, standing to ruffle the younger boy's hair.

"Shove it," Niall muttered, his cheeks going pink. He made it a point not to meet Zayn's gaze.

"Feisty. I like it. Okay!" Louis shouted. "Who wants to watch 'Moby Dick 2010' and laugh their asses off because it's that great of a comedy?"

"Lou, it's not a comedy," Zayn interjected.

"Pardon?"

"It's a drama-adventure like the book was."

"That's just _hilarious_ ," Louis grinned. Zayn sighed hopelessly and took a seat beside Harry.

And of course, because Louis is Louis and he could persuade anyone to do anything, they all found themselves crammed on the couch an hour or so later watching a giant not-really-white-but-whatever claymation whale skate across a deserted island (then start flying???) with a legless man running after it.

It was at this point that Liam had enough of watching the longing glances Niall sent Zayn's way and leaned over to whisper something to Louis. The older boy smirked devilishly.

"Oh, hey, boys," he said, pausing the movie ("Oh thank _god_ , is it over??" called a half-asleep Harry), "There's something I want to show you. Really can't wait, I'm afraid." He stood from his seat and started for the backyard. "Well?" he asked over his shoulder, "C'mon, it's in the backyard. Off your rears and follow me."

"Uh..." Zayn trailed, standing alongside Niall, "Sure thing, Lou?"

The five walked to the door, then Louis slid it open and beckoned Niall and Zayn out first. From the corner of his eye, Niall swore he saw Liam yanking Harry back from following them out- but _surely_ it was his imagination. Of course, he rethought that when he and Zayn turned in time to see the glass door slam shut and Louis standing on the other side sticking his tongue out. The older lad pulled the curtains across the door, but not before giving the two outside a thumbs up and an encouraging grin. Zayn turned to Niall.

"Should we even question why or just go with it?"

"Questioning Louis is like questioning the purpose of life," Niall replied- though he wondered if Liam had told the eldest boy about their conversation earlier. He made a mental note to kill the boy later.

"Heh. You're probably right," Zayn mused. He walked over to the end of the porch and sat down. "So... what should we do until Louis decides to let us back in?"

Niall sat down carefully beside him. He felt his heart speed up when his leg brushed against Zayn's. He shrugged- his voice didn't seem to be working at the moment.

"Are you okay?" Zayn asked suddenly, turning to face him. Niall glance up and gave him a questioning look. Zayn frowned. "It's just, you've been avoiding me today. And at school, you do the same thing. Did I do something? Say something? If I did, I'm sorry."

Niall rolled his shoulders and shook his head. "You didn't do anything, I just.."

Zayn looked up curiously. "You what?"

"Nothing. It's nothing."

Zayn gave a disappointed sigh but caught himself quickly. Niall was surprised to see him blushing- Zayn was normally very collected and rarely let out a show of emotions, no matter how small.

"...Niall?"

Niall looked to Zayn cautiously. "Yeah?"

Zayn wasn't looking at him anymore. Instead, he was staring at the grass at the base of the porch steps. "We are friends, right?"

"Yeah, of course we are. Why?"

Zayn glanced at him for a moment. "Because sometimes you confuse me. Like occasionally, I'll catch you in a good mood and we'll have a day where we act like friends. But then there're days like today where you just awkwardly sit as far from me as possible and pretend I'm not there."

Niall frowned. "I.. I don't mean to. I love it when you're there, Zayn, I never pretend that you're not. I like to think we're friends always, not just on good days- you mean too much to me to think any other way," he replied earnestly. His eyes widened, though, as he considered his words, and his cheeks flushed a dark red. "I-I mean as a friend! Like, you, you mean a lot to me in a completely platonic, non-weird way," he scrambled for an explanation, and finally just turned from Zayn to stare wide-eyed and red-faced at the backyard.

Zayn cocked an eyebrow at him, and Niall wondered how long it was from himself to the nearest rock he could crawl under.

"Uh, right back at you?" Zayn questioned, leaning away slightly. Niall could have kicked himself.

He shrank back and bit his lip. He was hyper aware of Zayn's dark brown eyes watching him, and he ducked his head.

"You're kind of adorable when you do that."

Niall sat back straight and gave Zayn a confused look. "Huh?"

"That whole awkward thing where you say more than you mean to, then try to cover it up," Zayn clarified. "It's really cute."

Niall's blush deepened. "You saw through that, then?"

Zayn nodded. "So... you kind of maybe sort of.. like me? More than as a friend?"

Niall swore he heard something that sounded like hope in Zayn's voice, but he assumed he was just looking for a chance where there was none. He nodded slowly, shrinking back again and preparing for the worst.

But Zayn did not start laughing. He did not scowl in disgust. Instead, he looked back at the grass, smiling softly. He took a moment, then without turning back to Niall, said, "I.. I kind of like you too, Niall."

"You do?"

Zayn looked back up, smiling more confidently now, and nodded.

Niall pulled his legs up beneath him, still smiling like an idiot, and asked, "So where does this leave us?"

Zayn shifted a bit closer, appearing more confident now with his revelation of his chest, and replied, "Wherever we want it to."

Niall wondered if his face would ever return to its normal temperature.

"I don't really... I'm not very good at this, Zayn. Emotions and things. They confuse me sometimes, all the time actually. And relationships... I've never... I've never even been _close_ to one before... I have no idea how they usually work, and... I don't even know if that's the right word, you know? Like is it that yet, or is that later? I don't..." Niall struggled to manipulate his vocabulary into encompassing all he wanted to say. It was difficult, though, too difficult, and he gave Zayn and desperate " _please help me stop talking"_ look.

Zayn shook his head. "It's alright, I mean, calling it that. I'm not really an expert either, you know? So, I guess, we get to learn together."

"That.. that actually sounds like a really lovely idea."

Zayn smiled again. After a moment of once more silently staring at the ground (the grass was incredibly interesting that day, such a lovely green, truly), Zayn shifted to be a bit closer to Niall. He slipped his arm cautiously around the younger boy's shoulder. When Niall looked towards him he refused to meet his gaze, so Niall shifted his own position to gently lean into Zayn's side. He felt warmth spread through him, and he wondered why on earth it took him so long to realize this was exactly what he needed the most in his life. He turned to glance at Zayn.

Zayn grinned softly at him, and Niall returned the gesture. They stared for a moment at a one another, then Zayn broke their silence. "I really want to kiss you right now."

Niall swallowed. He didn't know what to say, so he just nodded slowly. Zayn swallowed, too, then leaned in carefully and cautiously. He closed his eyes, and, for a moment, Niall could only stare at his lips. Finally, though, Niall moved forward and their lips met.

Zayn's lips were incredibly soft, and the warmth Niall had felt from being in Zayn's arms before intensified now. He brought a hand up to wrap his arm around Zayn's neck while Zayn rubbed gently up and down Niall's back with his hand. His other hand had been placed on Niall's hip.

The kiss was soft and tender and sweet, it was close-mouthed and innocent, yet held the promise of something more. Niall could feel it as their lips moved effortlessly together, could feel the electricity running down his spine and igniting the parts of his mind that he didn't even know he had. He felt an inexplicable desire to _be_ with Zayn. It was a desperate need that had him _almost_ whimpering as the kiss was broken.

They stayed entangled, their faces still only centimeters apart. So focused were they on one another that they didn't hear the porch door slide open.

They did, however, hear the loud wolf-whistle that sounded behind them. They turned their heads to see Louis, Liam, and Harry crowding the door. Liam gave Niall a thumbs up from over Louis' shoulder.

"Sorry, were we interrupting?" Louis grinned. "Please, continue snogging. Don't mind us."

Zayn blushed a deep scarlet color, and Niall hid his face in the crook of Zayn's neck. He was smiling, though, because he was happy. Happier than he was when he aced a particularly hard exam, happier than he was when the Science channel actually played science related media or the History channel didn't have a special on about aliens for once. This was a kind of happy where he felt like he was floating yet still safe and secure at the same time. Where he felt warmth and electricity spreading through his body like wildfire through a dry savannah.

Niall felt Zayn chuckle gently and tighten his grip on him. Yes, this was definitely worth the near-mental breakdown earlier that day. He didn't even care that Harry was snickering, or Louis was smirking, or Liam was grinning that smug little _I told you so_ grin he had. In that moment, all that mattered was Zayn. Not science, not any form of academia, which was a first for Niall. He knew it was too early to call it love, that this feeling that was beginning to blossom in his chest was still young and fresh, and so very, very fragile. It would have to be nurtured and cared for, but perhaps one day, it would be ready to bloom.

As he felt Zayn press a kiss in his hair, Niall knew that that day would come soon. He and Zayn were polar opposites, but they could make it. They could try. And Niall had a very good that they would succeed.

**Author's Note:**

> I think this is longest one shot I've ever written.  
> What am I saying this is the longest anything I've ever written.  
> That's... a little sad, to be honest.


End file.
